Play (Evy Story 59)
by quietandsneaky
Summary: Evy gets hurt when both Sam and Dean are out of the house, leaving John to have to take care of her.


**Disclaimer: The characters of Supernatural do not belong to me. The original character of Evelyn Winchester does.**

 **A/N: I've gotten a couple of reviews and a PM about my last story, What Could Have Been and What Could Be Again, wondering about a second chapter. I never say never, but I wasn't planning on making a second chapter to that story. I just haven't gone back and changed the status of it to complete yet.**

"Daddy?"

John Winchester was in an unusual predicament for him. Sam was off playing at the park with some boys from the neighborhood. Dean was off somewhere that John didn't want to think about, probably with some girl. Which left John in charge of three-year-old Evy.

Though John loved Evy dearly, she was a handful, at least for him. She was well-behaved, at least for a three-year-old. But, as he'd come to learn, even the best kids grated on your nerves once in a while. Evy wanted attention that day, and with Sam and Dean both gone, she wanted it from him. But John had to work. There was a possible werewolf a few miles away, but he had to make sure first. Using every bit of patience he could muster, John replied,

"What, little one?"

"Will you pay with me? Please?" Evy asked.

John sighed. "I have to work. I can't right now."

Evy's shoulders slumped in disappointment, but she would not be fazed. "Later?"

"We'll see." John said.

Evy swallowed. "'Kay, Daddy."

If anything could make John feel like more of a jerk than he already did, the look in her eyes when he said 'we'll see' was it. Evy was smart, just like Sam had been at the same age. 'We'll see' was code for 'I'll do it later if I feel like it, but I probably won't'. Evy walked back to the small room she shared with Sam and Dean, and John thought the situation was over.

He was wrong. Evy came back into the kitchen a few minutes later. She didn't say anything, just pulled a kitchen chair out from the table. With her small hands, it made more noise than was necessary. Intrigued, John simply watched. She pulled the chair out a few feet, then went to the opposite wall and pulled a stepstool next to the chair. She left and came back with one of the notebooks Sam gave her to draw in and a box of crayons. She placed the crayons and the notebook on the chair and sat on the

"Little one, what are you doing?" John asked.

Evy looked up to John with a grin. "I work too, Daddy."

John smiled. Evy just wanted to be with him, and was willing to do anything to make it happen.

"Okay, little one. You work too. And when I'm done with mine, we'll go outside to play."

"Deal." Evy said.

They both worked in silence for the better part of the next hour. John kept sneaking glances over to Evy, who leaned over her notebook with her tongue sticking out, working on her next masterpiece. When John looked down at the book in front of him and his vision blurred, he realized it was time to take a break anyway.

"Hey, little one. You ready to go play?"

"Almost, Daddy." Evy said. She made a few finishing touches on her picture. "Ready."

"Can I see what you were drawing?"

"Not now. Later." Evy said.

"Okay, later." John said. "Come on, let's go."

John took a ball that was in the front yard and threw it towards Evy, who happily threw it back to him. John had much more fun than he thought he would, until it all came to a screeching halt. Evy was running backwards to try and catch the ball when she tripped. John wasn't too worried at first. Evy was a tough kid, and falls and scrapes normally drew just a few tears and then she was back up. Not this time.

When Evy stood up, she was holding her arm and was crying crocodile sized tears. John started to ask what was wrong, then he saw the blood coming through her small fingers. He looked down on the ground where she'd fallen and saw it-a broken bottle that he hadn't seen before. The pieces fell together in under a second. Evy had turned slightly when she fell, and fell right on top of the broken bottle, cutting her arm.

"Daddy!"

"Shh. Come here little one. Let me see." John said.

"It hurts!" Evy whined slightly, but pulled her hand away and showed him her arm.

The arm was bleeding, but not as much as John feared. He took off his long sleeved shirt and put it up to her arm. Evy whined again, and John picked her up.

"Hold this to your arm, little one. It'll stop the bleeding."

"Daddy, I need you make it feel better." Evy said. "Please?"

John's heart twinged. Was he really that bad that Evy had to ask him to make her feel better when she was hurt? John kissed her cheek and promised,

"Come here, little one. I'll make it better."

Evy nodded and put as much pressure as she could on the shirt. John carried her inside, sat her on the kitchen counter, and pulled out the first aid kit. After it was opened, John gently pulled the shirt away.

"It's stopped bleeding. That's good. Does it still hurt?"

"Yes, sir." Evy said.

"Okay. I'm gonna make it feel better. Here."

John pulled out two small children's Tylenols and handed them to her with a glass of water. Evy took them, and John took that time to look at the cut on her arm. It was deep, and he didn't want to do it, but she had to have a few stitches. With Sam and Dean both out of the house, he wasn't looking forward to stitching her up, but he had to try.

"Okay, little one. Listen up. That cut on your arm is too big for just a bandage. I'm going to have to give you stitches."

Evy squirmed. "You mean like when you sewed up Deanie's hand that time?"

John nodded.

"That sounds scary."

"I won't lie. It is, a little bit. But I'm going to put this on it." John pulled out the tube of numbing cream in the first aid kit and showed it to her. "It'll help it not hurt so much."

"But it'll still hurt?"

"Probably." John said. "Do you think you can be a big, brave girl for me?"

"I try, Daddy."

John, amazed at her strength for such a little kid, said sincerely, "Daddy's so proud of you."

The compliment drew a smile from Evy and she briefly forgot about the pain in her arm. John quickly applied the numbing cream, and played a round of twenty questions while they waited for it to work. Once it did, John stitched her up as quickly as he could while still doing a thorough job. She cried a few more tears and squirmed a bit, but was overall very quiet.

"Okay, little one. All done."

"We not done, Daddy. You got one more thing to do." Evy said.

"I do? What is it?"

Evy held her arm out and pointed to her stitches expectantly.

John was lost. "What is it?"

"Daddy, I needs a kiss. Won't get better without a kiss."

"Of course. My apologies." John gently kissed the stiches and turned back to Evy. "Better?"

"Better." Evy said with a smile.

"I'm back!"

"Sammy!" Evy called excitedly. "I's in the kitchen."

"Hey, what are you…" Sam stopped when he saw the first aid kit and the stitches on Evy's arm. "What happened to you? Are you okay?"

"I falled on a bottle and Daddy stitch it up. He make it better."

"Does it still hurt, little one?" John asked.

"No, Daddy. It feel better now."

"Good." John took a sad look back to the table, where his hunting research was waiting. "I'm sorry, but I have to get back to work."

"It's okay, Daddy. Thank you for paying with me. And making me feel better."

"You're welcome, little one." John said. "Here, let me help you get down." John put her down on the floor, where she went to give Sam a hug.

"You ready to go play, Cricket?"

"Wait, I got to give Daddy something." Evy said, running back over to the makeshift desk she'd made earlier. She pulled out a page of her notebook and brought it to John. "Here, Daddy."

John inspected the picture. It was the two of them working earlier, John at the table with books all around, and Evy at her much smaller, makeshift desk.

"Thank you, little one. It's beautiful."

"I going to play now, Daddy."

"Okay, you do that." As Sam led Evy away towards the living room to play, John held the picture tight in his hand. Things weren't always great in their family, but today had been pretty close. "Daddy loves you, little one."


End file.
